Gestational Diabetes

Compared with women whose weight remained stable, body mass index gains between the first and second pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in the second pregnancy….

A common test to diagnose gestational diabetes — a temporary condition which can harm both mother and child if left untreated — also has predictive power for Type 2 adult-onset diabetes, a new Tel Aviv University study finds….

Researchers found that, among nearly 140,000 women, Asian women had the highest rate of gestational diabetes, at nearly 7 percent. They were followed by Native American women, at 5.6 percent, and Latina women, at 5 percent….

Researchers are reporting that treatment of even the mildest forms of gestational diabetes halves the risk of delivering newborns with excess body fat and shoulder dystocia at birth. Treatment also results in fewer cesarean deliveries and a reduction in risk for pre-eclampsia and hypertensive disorders.